Joseph Mathunjwa elected Amcu president for another term

The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (Amcu) has re-elected Joseph Mathunjwa as president for another five-year term, alongside a refreshed national executive committee.

The union made this announcement on Friday after concluding what it called a highly successful 2025 national congress in Boksburg that adopted seven strategic resolutions to strengthen worker control, organisational renewal and economic justice.

The union also reaffirmed its support for the Labour Party of South Africa, which it formed in 2024 as a home for all trade unions and progressive organisations.

The union said delegates gathered from across the country to assess Amcu’s progress, confront shortcomings and adopt a clear programme of action rooted in worker control and independence.

“Our members have renewed their mandate for Amcu to remain the uncompromising voice of workers and the defender of their dignity in every workplace,” Mathunjwa said.

Delegates elected Phuthuma Manyathi as deputy president, Abiot Lebelwane as treasurer-general, Molotlegi Tlatsoeng as national chairperson for health and safety, and Ntshebele Mankge as national chairperson for education.

“This congress has strengthened our leadership core and reaffirmed that workers want a disciplined, militant and accountable leadership that serves without fear or favour,” Mathunjwa said.

The Amcu congress adopted seven strategic resolutions that will guide Amcu’s work for the next four years.

One resolution committed the union to pursuing stronger protections against unfair dismissal, labour broking and exploitative forms of work. Another directed the union to intensify its fight for a labour-intensive job-creation programme capable of absorbing unemployed youth and retrenched workers.

Another was for a transformed and worker-friendly CCMA and bargaining structures that were adequately resourced and accessible.

The union also resolved to demand a shift towards beneficiation, industrialisation and genuine community upliftment linked to South Africa’s mineral wealth.

“For generations, mining houses exported our minerals while importing our poverty and Amcu will intensify the fight for real economic transformation. We are tired of this fake democracy and this fake transformation,” Mathunjwa said.

The union also resolved to continue fighting for housing, health care, education and community upliftment.

“These resolutions are not theoretical documents; they are a call to action for every Amcu structure from shaft to national level. These resolutions will form the basis of our campaigns and work in the coming five years, and we will keep on referring back to them to navigate when days are dark,” Mathunjwa said.

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